Chapter 421 - 260

Chapter 261: The Cry of Justice on Fish-Man Island!At the same time, the dreamlike and magnificent streets and districts of Fish-Man Island had been completely shrouded in the dark clouds of violence.Bang! Boom—!The loud crash of collapsing buildings mixed with the startled cries and weeping of the residents.In a secluded alleyway, a young mermaid resident with a pale blue fish tail had been backed into a corner.She leaned against the cold wall, arms tightly shielding her chest, her face written with fear and defiance."Wh-what are you doing?! This is Fish-Man Island, His Majesty Neptune will not let you thugs get away with this!"Her voice trembled with fear, yet she still tried to uphold the dignity of the royal family."Neptune? Hahaha!"Several Fishman pirates blocking her path let out harsh, mocking laughter. A shark Fishman leading them, holding a large saber, stepped forward with a cruel, mocking expression."That old fool of a king? Let me tell you, Boss Hodyhas already led the brothers to invade Ryugu Palace!""Before long, this country will have a new master! When that time comes, we will be the ones making the rules!"He pointed to a portrait hanging on the nearby wall.It was a portrait of the late Queen Otohime smiling gently, a cherished memento kept in the homes of many residents."Now, I'll give you a chance to live."The shark Fishman licked the edge of his blade, malice gleaming in his eyes."Spit on the portrait of this hypocritical woman, and I'll let you go.""No... impossible!"The young mermaid girl shuddered, the fear in her eyes instantly replaced by immense anger and sorrow as tears surged out."I could never do that! This is Queen Otohime! The Queen who gave everything for peace!!""Heh, ungrateful brat!"The shark Fishman completely lost his patience, a murderous look appearing on his face."Then you can go to hell along with this portrait!!"He raised the heavy saber high and slashed down ruthlessly toward the girl!The girl closed her eyes in despair.Bang—!!!The expected agonizing pain did not arrive. Instead, there was the crisp sound of metal shattering and a few cold fragments brushing past her cheek.She tremblingly opened her eyes to see that the large saber that had been swung at her had actually shattered into a dozen pieces in mid-air, clattering to the ground.And between her and the murderous Fishman, a figure had appeared at some point.It was a blond, slender man, casually dangling a lit cigarette from his mouth, hands tucked into his suit pockets. The lines of his profile appeared somewhat cold amidst the curling smoke."Ah... what a truly heartbreaking sound."The man slowly turned his head to look at the shaken mermaid girl, his previous coldness instantly melting into a spring-like tenderness."Beautiful lady, are you alright? To have caused you such a fright is truly a sin."This extreme contrast left both the girl and the shark Fishman stunned.In the next second, the blond man's gaze shifted to the saber-wielding Fishman, his tenderness instantly freezing into the ice of midwinter."Low-life trash, you dare swing a blade at a lady?"Before his voice finished echoing, his figure seemed to blur for an instant.Bang!The shark Fishman didn't even see what happened; he only felt an irresistible, massive force slam into his abdomen. His entire body crashed through the wall behind him, his fate unknown."Sanji! Things are mostly cleared up on this side, but there are just too many Fishman pirates around!"The long-nosed sniper and a skeleton musician ran over from the mouth of the alley. Usopp wiped his sweat, his tone anxious."The three princes and the Ryugu Palace guard are already doing their best to quell the chaos, but these guys who've gone mad from the drugs are causing destruction everywhere; they just can't keep up!""Yohohoho~ What a chaotic scene indeed."Brook adjusted his top hat, his hollow eye sockets scanning the wrecked street.Sanji took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled.In the smoke, his gaze became incredibly sharp, as if substantial flames were ignited deep within his pupils."Heh... a bunch of reckless, rotten bottom-feeders."He spoke in a low voice, suppressing a startling fury."To dare commit violence against such beautiful ladies in the paradise of my dreams... and even try to destroy this peace?"Boom!Just as he finished speaking, searing orange-red flames rose without warning from his right leg, instantly enveloping his entire calf and burning fiercely!"Leave it to me."Sanji's voice was cold as iron. "I will definitely burn this scum... until not even ashes remain!"Sizzle—!The flames suddenly surged, and faint blue electrical arcs flickered and jumped within the tongues of fire!In the next second, Sanji's figure seemed to merge into the flames and lightning, turning into a searing stream of light that was hard for the naked eye to catch. With a whistle that tore through the air, he vanished from the spot instantly!"Uh... did Mr. Sanji just say, 'paradise of my dreams'?"Brook tilted his head, his skeletal hand propping up his chin."I recall his dream was to find the legendary 'All Blue' that contains fish from all the oceans, wasn't it?"Usopp looked in the direction Sanji had vanished, then glanced at the rescued mermaid girl who was staring blankly with a red face in the direction Sanjihad left, seemingly understanding something.He shrugged and spread his hands."Well... a man's dream can sometimes... 'expand' a little bit."————————In Ryugu Palace, the banquet hall was already a mess.Bang—!!Hody Jones was sent flying backward with a crash, slamming violently into a giant coral relief, his entire body deeply embedded into the shattered base of the sculpture."Waaah—!"A large mouthful of dark red blood mixed with fragments of internal organs sprayed wildly from his mouth, splattering eye-catching marks on the ground in front of him.He struggled to lift his head, his bloodshot, crimson eyeballs nearly bulging out of their sockets as they locked onto the figure at the other end of the dust.Onto that blue-skinned Fishman who hadn't moved a single step from beginning to end."Cough... this... how is it possible..."Hody's voice was hoarse and broken, filled with incomprehensible madness and frustration."You... how could you... be strong to this extent..."He had clearly swallowed over thirty energy steroids, enough to make an ordinary Fishman's body explode!His strength, speed, and recovery had all climbed to an unprecedented peak; every inch of his cells was roaring with the power of destruction!But why... why was his power, which was enough to split mountains and seas, still like a wave crashing against a reef—shattered, broken, and futile?!He was supposed to conquer Ryugu Palace, trample the dignity of the royal family, and even step on the heads of the so-called 'Four Emperors' to declare Fishman supremacy to the whole world!And the result?He was like a low-tier little pirate, beaten so pathetically by a casual strike from the opponent!"Uwaaaa—!!!"Extreme humiliation and anger instantly crushed his remaining sanity. Hody let out a non-human beastly roar, his crimson eyes nearly dripping blood!He used all his strength to drag himself out of the rubble, one hand slamming onto the still-intact wall beside him, where complex pipe patterns were faintly visible inside.That was one of the key hubs for Ryugu Palace to regulate internal and external water pressure and control seawater!"Jinbe—!!!"He turned his head, his face showing a grimace mixed with intense pain and extreme malice."Even if I can't kill you... I will never let you and your 'human master' have it easy!!""Four Emperors? Emperor? In the end, he's just a despicable human!!""In this deep sea, the greatest natural enemy of humans is—"The palm he had pressed against the wall suddenly exerted force, his muscles bulging, his intention clear:"—Seawater!! As long as I break this layer of protection and let the high-pressure seawater pour in...!!"Thump!Before he could finish, his body jolted violently without warning!In that instant, an extreme coldness shot up his spine to the top of his head. The shadow of death, like the coldest current of the deep sea, submerged him completely without any precursor.Hody's pupils contracted to the size of pinpoints, nearly dilating.Instinctively, he with difficulty turned his stiff neck, his gaze crossing the wrecked battlefield to meet the eyes of the man wearing the straw hat beside the throne in the distance.Luffy wasn't looking at him.He was merely facing sideways to that direction, head slightly lowered, the shadow of the hat's brim covering most of his face.But at the moment Hody's gaze made contact, a pure, cold, indifferent killing intent that seemed to come from the very top of the food chain reached the depths of his soul!Death.It was so clear, so close, as if a cold scythe had already pressed against the skin of his neck.Hody Jones's grimace froze completely on his face, replaced by extreme shock and disbelief.This... this is a 'Four Emperors'?!Without even making a move, just a sliver of unintentionally leaked aura from such a distance made him—a powerhouse who had consumed dozens of energy steroids and considered himself close to a god or demon—truly experience the tremor of impending death?!"Hody!...Stop it right now!!!"A shout as powerful as the raging waves of the deep sea exploded, interrupting Hody's momentary daze.Jinbe's figure appeared before him as if teleporting. On that face, which was always broad and steady, there was now only unquestionable resolve and anger.His right fist was pulled back to his waist. On the knuckles, dense black electrical arcs were jumping and coiling wildly, emitting a destructive fluctuation!That was no longer ordinary Fish-Man Karate, but an ultimate technique that combined top-tier Armament Haki with tempered skills... a Secret Technique!"Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique: Buraikan!!"A streak of black lightning condensed to the extreme tore through the air, carrying a low rumble like the beating of war drums. At a speed beyond visual capture, it slammed squarely into Hody Jones's face, which was distorted with shock!BOOM!!!!In the next moment, Hody's head twisted back at an exaggerated angle. His entire body was like a top struck by an invisible giant whip, spinning half a circle on the spot before turning into a blurred blue shadow and flying straight back at a terrifying speed!Boom boom boom boom—!!!Continuous sounds of impact and collapse echoed from near to far, resounding through Ryugu Palace.The dust and debris pulled out a destructive trail hundreds of meters long.At the end of the ruins, Hody Jones lay limp among the rubble like a broken rag doll.Those crimson eyes that were once full of ambition and fanaticism now had dilated pupils and wandering focus, leaving only emptiness and silence, reflecting not a single ray of light.The violent power brought by the energy steroids receded like a tide, leaving behind only a completely broken body and a soul on the verge of collapse."Hahaha... no matter how you argue, no matter how much power you have... Jinbe!!"Hody Jones lay in the rubble, every breath carrying blood foam, his voice hoarse and broken, yet he still stubbornly tilted his head up."Queen Otohime... she is dead! She can never open her eyes again and smile at you all! This is an unchangeable fact!!""And you, Jinbe! Even if you stand on the side of humans, even if you are strong enough to easily crush me... you cannot deny it!""You cannot deny that Queen Otohime fell under a human's gun! Her blood was stained red by human malice!!"He coughed up a large mouthful of blood but managed a distorted and sorrowful smile, as if he were the martyr who bore all the suffering:"Everything I have done... the killing, the destruction, the seizing... it was all for Fish-Man Island!""It was to keep more compatriots from dying like the Queen due to human hypocrisy and betrayal! I did it to wash away this shame!!"These words, like poisoned icicles, stabbed ruthlessly into the hearts of many in the hall.Jinbe's burly frame swayed imperceptibly. He slowly closed his eyes, fists clenched, knuckles turning white.It wasn't that he was convinced by Hody, but that the deep-seated, never-healing wound in his heart was once again cruelly torn open.The gentle and firm gaze of Queen Otohime before her death overlapped with her figure lying in a pool of blood, bringing a pain as heavy as the ocean abyss.King Neptune's massive head lowered deeply, his thick orange beard trembling slightly.His broad shoulders seemed to hunch in an instant; it was the helplessness and grief of a husband and a king facing the eternal pain of his beloved wife's early passing.The surrounding Ryugu guards, whether Fishmen or merfolk, also lowered their heads one after another, gritting their teeth, their eyes reddening.Queen Otohime's image had long surpassed her status as a Queen; she was the light in many people's hearts, a symbol of peace.Her passing was a shared, deep pain in the hearts of everyone on Fish-Man Island that had yet to fully subside.Hody's words stirred up this deep sorrow once again, plunging the hall into a heavy and oppressive silence.However, in the midst of this almost suffocating silence!"That's not it at all—!!!"